Daily soap in the Netherlands: Goede tijden slechte tijden

Posted on 21 November 2015 at 18:27

crew 2015

One of the most popular TV shows in the Netherlands is the soap opera: Goede tijden slechte tijden. In English it means Good Times, Bad Times. Every evening at 8 o' clock 1,5 million dutchies are sitting in front of the television to watch the only daily Dutch soap. Since the beginning Goede tijden slechte tijden has been broadcasted by RTL 4. This is a commercial TV station with a large marktshare in audience rating. Because making a Dutch soap opera was something new and they didn't know where to start they decided to rewrite an existing soap. RTL4 bought the rights of the Australian soap opera The restless years. The first couple of seasons were similar to the Australian broadcast but after a few years the writers decided to invent their own storyline

25th anniversary

This year the soap celebrated her 25th anniversary. Something nobody expected when the soap started at 1990 that is would last for 25 years. Many Dutch people grew up with the soap opera. And as I can speak for myself. I was 7 when it started. And I always wanted to watch it but I was to young. I have followed it for years but I also didn't follow it for years because I got bored by the show or better things to do. But nowadays I don't mind watching twice a week because my daughter really loves the soap.

In the beginning the critics were not that positive about the show because of the bad acting performance of the actress and lousy decoration. Actors like Reinout Oerlemans* from the first hour told in interview that he was picked out of the street for his good looks. He played Arnie. Everybody in the Netherlands still know Arnie.Now a days this guy is multimillionaire. After he quit the show he started his own international TV production company Eyeworks, which he sold for millions a few years a go.

More than 5000 show have been broadcast during the year Many big actors started were once part of the show. Like Katja Schuurman, Reinout Oerlemans. Elisabeth Hubbard who played Lucinda in As the world turns was on trhe set for month to fullfill a guestroom. The show become well known because of his controversial storyline. It was the first soap opera in the world with gaymarriage. But realistic storyline, like cancer, intercultural marriage, psychical en sexual abuse, paternity, marriage, divorce cheating passed by during the 25 years.

In 2009 the ratings decreased because of very unrealistic storyline. Barbara faked cancer and Laura found out that she slept with her son Dennisbut she didn't know that. The Dutch didn't like these kind of storyline so the writers got replaced they focused on more realistic storyline. They introduced Turkish sisters with a search to Islam-storyline..... In that time GTST became very popular with the Moslem society in the Netherlands. The soap has always been very multicultural compare to other soapopera's.

The soap takes place in the fictional town called Meerdijk. The story mainly revolves around the families Alberts, Sanders, van Houten, Bouwhuis and de Jong. The Alberts family has been in the storyline since the beginning. Jette van der Meij who plays Laura Selmhorst-Alberts has been at set since the beginning of the show. She's been true it all. If you're interested you can click here. This link will sent you to the English wikipedia of GTST.

Alberts Family

Many Alberts' have past by the past 25 years. The show started with Laura en Robert and their son Arnie. Arnie died in the jungle of South-America and Laura never got over it. They have 2 other children: Lotje(deceased child death) and Sil(in jail). Robert was always cheating Laura and they got divorced. Robert left a few years ago to Tokyo but got recently back in the show.Laura has been through it all. She murdered I guess 2 men because she didn't have a choice. Nobody ever found the bodies. She has been a lawyer, a jazzsinger, a lesbian. She wanted to married Rutger but scammed here and everybody in Meerdijk. So they al got moneyissues. Now she is pretty stabile but we've seen she can be labile as hell. She's the manager of the Rozenboom. A hotel in Meerdijk.

Jeff Alberts is Robert brother. He runs the Koning. That's a pub in meerdijk he was married with Bings mother so he treats Bing like his son. He has 2 children but they died both. Jeff is a feel good-men. Every shares his secret. He is a good friend of evil maxim. Jeff was married with Sylvia but she died of cancer

arnie jeff and robert

Sanders Family.

The mean guy of the show is Ludo Sanders. Ludo has been married for som many times with Janine. Now they got divorced but they still act like a couple. They have a daughter Nina, who looks like a spoiled brad but she's not that bad at all. Janine has a son Lucas. He is socio gay. Lucas father is Stefano. And Stefano is the brother of Ludo. But Ludo raised him like a son and didn't know that Stefano was his son until a few years ago. Family is everything for Ludo and he goes way to far to protect them. He has his men everywhere. Nina is dating Bing and Ludo can't stand Bing because of things that happened in the past. Bing and he hired a girl Monica that Bing fathered a few years ago to seduce because he feels like Bing is not good enough for Nina.Monica kidnaps Nola and her own son and Ludo feels guilty. Ludo Bing and Monica decided to do best for the children and Bing decided not to tell Nina what her father did. After all Bing and Ludo make up and Bing ask Nina tot marry him.... But what is Bing up to? Because Bing is not always that sweet.....

Lucas is a very happy funny gay guy. He got married with Menno but Menno beat him up all the time. It was a very good an realistic storyline about domestic violence.

Ludo has another son Nick and daughter Amy They are both insane and not on show right now. Het hates Nick. Which is odd because family is everything to Ludo.

Ludo has a sister Maxime, They have a love hate/relationship

ludo and janine maxime

Bouwhuis family.

Dr.Anton Bouwhuis just lost his wife Bianca. She was diagnosed with ALS but didn't ell her relatives. They have two sons. Sjoerd and Edwin. Edwin was also gay and didn't know that until he met Lucas. This was a very popular storyline. It was called:Ludwin by the viewers.Edwin died because of the Ebola-virus. Sjoerd is bit of a punk-rock type; longhair, plays guitar. Big mouth, little heart. Sjoerd suffered from a coke addiction after his brother died.

A few years ago Anton found out he has another son Tim, which he fathered with his former mistress Julia Loderus. Julia is a sweer women. She and Bianca became friends. Tim went to medschool but couldn't finish it because he has no feeling is his hands because of in a fight with his brother Sjoers a few year ago. Anton is arrogant and passive-aggressive men. He often fights with his sons because he is can be very unreasonable and authoritative and has a weakness for whiskey. Bianca was a very sweet mom. She runned the Juice bar.

In the previous season Bianca murdered Ardil Baydar because he gave her niece Anna drugs en because of what happened with Sjoerd she got mad and hit him. He fell out of the window and died. Maxime Sanders had a affair with Ardil. She made a plan to destroy Anton and she succeed. She took she juicebar/hairsalon and his house and abused is weakness for alcohol. Because Anton is very chesty he refuses help from his children and his good friend Ludo. Linda, who just got back in Meerdijk gave him a place to sleep because he found him sleeping on the street. Linda helped Maxime with revangeplans but know she feels guilty because she has feelings for Anton.

Sjoerd is worried about his father, He is with Aysen Baydar. She's a Turkish policewomen and portrayed as an ice-queen but actually she's a sweetheart with a invisible wall. She just miscarriage but what she doesn't know is that Sjoerd had a one night stand with Rikki his ex. She's pregnant too. By Sjoerd she says... But Rikki lies a lot and Aysen doesn't know.... So how storyline ends....

Van Houten familie:

In the early days Frits van Houten was the real bad guy of GTST. He got murdered by his secretariat. She threw a TV in bath he got electrocuted. When he got murdered, the whole nation was talking about 'Who killed Frits' I remember we made bets at high school and it was a popular topic for weeks because of the many suspects. Frits left 3 children behind fathered by 3 mothers; Jack, Sjors and Wiet. They didn't grew up together. Jack was a policemen and left the show a few years ago with his boat. He went to Africa and brought back the Ebolavirus back. Sjors and Wiet still live in Meerdijk. When Sjors entered the show she was very Christian en lived by the bible. She has a daughter Lana with Danny but Danny died. He got murdered by Aysen but the viewer knows that. Sjors is a good girl who looks after het sister Wiet. Wiet is now pretty normal is she had a psycho past. In the past, she heard voices that told her to kill Nina and she tried. She had to go to TBSclinic. (If you're insane and you comit a crime in the Netherlands you don't go to prison but you go to a special clinic)

frits

De Jong family:

Rik and Anita de Jong received a daughter Rikki. When they meerdijk to start a new life in Australia they came back after a few years because they missed everyone. Rik has a motorcycle and is a stud with a difficult childhood. He smuggled drugs to Thailand and went to jail for lifetime. After a fire break out he decided to switch identity with his cellmate who died because of the fire so he could escape. Now he is in jail again because he murdered Mike Brandt(Brother of Bianca).

Rikki gave birth at the age of 16. She was dating Sjoerd Bouwhuis. First she didn't want the baby. So she gave him up for adoption. Sjors and Bing(were married at the time) adopted the boy Bram. Rikki regrets and wanted him back and after a while Sjors gave in. Sjoerd, Rikki and Bram are a happy family until Rikki falls in love with Tim(Sjoerds brother). Later she cheats Tim with someone else.

After her father went to prison she totally lost it and fell in love with Anton Bouwhuis. She tried to seduce him but Anton did have some morals en didn't fall for Rikki(besides he was married with Bianca). Rikki couldn't handle it and accused Anton of sexual assault. Everybody believed her except Bianca. Later they find ot the truth but they forgive Rikki because of het mental condition. Rikki and Wiet are best friends en they follow a music and theatre education.

sjoerd and rikki